


The Tales We Tell

by thechavanator



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Fictional Folklore, Gen, I guess???, Implied Dragon Quest XI Spoilers, Mythology - Freeform, Post-Canon, this is by far the WEIRDEST thing i have ever had to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechavanator/pseuds/thechavanator
Summary: They say, in those days, there was a mage, who swore an oath of loyalty—oh, but it’s best not to repeat that tale. Stories carry power, you know, they linger long after their tellers are gone, and their subjects very well may, too.Stories never truly end, do they? As long as they are told, they continue to grow, spiralling on and on into something far greater than they were to begin. And so long as they live, their subjects never truly die, do they?
Comments: 26
Kudos: 16





	The Tales We Tell

**Author's Note:**

> (Hi! Tread reaaaally carefully if you haven't gotten into the postgame yet; everything is PRETTY vague, due to style reasons, but you might end up with an accidental spoiler here and there.)
> 
> I had this idea rather spontaneously while working today and wrote this entire fic in about two hours. This is, by far, the WEIRDEST style choice I have ever committed to. I didn't even write in present tense for this! THAT'S how weird it is!!!! This might actually skew closer to, i dunno, flowery meta or something? This has minimal editing because of it, rip.
> 
> Okay so. I've always been fascinated with mythology, and the ways that a real-life story kinda grows and grows until what actually happened is _far_ more mundane than the story now being told. So I offhandedly contemplated that with Erdrea, and how Erik's story in particular might have spiralled beyond what it once was, and it just snowballed from there. I feel like I was inspired by a few story-ish tumblr posts talking about something similar in-universe for other fandoms...? I cannot remember.
> 
> I have more to say on the subject, but I have to leave those for the end notes. I'll leave you with this; this is an in-universe fictionalization of what happened to various characters in the game, and this is the act 2 timeline, if you're curious.

They say, once, in an age of heroes, Yggdrasil was a different tree. The guiding light shining over Erdrea was a different spirit entirely...but that’s a story for later. Stories of Erdrea stretch back even further than that, to heroes that we’ve nearly forgotten.

They say, eons ago, before the kingdoms as we know them stood at all, there was a hero who set out to vanquish a monster, and when his task was completed, Yggdrasil took him from his mortal life and set him among the stars. They say his dearest companion, desperate to reunite with him, climbed to the very top of the tallest tower, attempting to reach the stars by foot, and by magic when her feet could no longer carry her. That her struggles moved Yggdrasil to sympathy, so the great tree took her, too, setting her beside him in the night sky.

They say, in that long-ago age of forgotten heroes, there was a knight who traveled the world, never able to rest his feet when he found himself the last of his cohort to survive. They say he became a teacher of those who wished to pursue light and goodness, that his soul lingered even past death to impart his knowledge 

They say, in those days, there was a mage, who swore an oath of loyalty—oh, but it’s best not to repeat that tale. Stories carry power, you know, they linger long after their tellers are gone, and their subjects very well may, too.

\---

They say, once, in an age of heroes, Yggdrasil was a _very_ different tree. But we have yet to reach that part of Erdrea’s story. There are many other stories from that age to tell, first.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a mage, or a knight, or perhaps both, who longed for something above his station, longed for power that wasn’t truly his to take. Some say his patron was a monster, some claim it was a demon, some claim it was something beyond our understanding entirely, but whatever entity he sold his soul to offered power, and glory, and the admiration and fear of all who saw him. And whatever he siphoned his power from certainly delivered on that front; he was powerful, and he was glorified, and he was feared by all who had the misfortune to lay eyes upon him. But, as far as his patron was concerned, he was no more than a tool; it was only mere chance, and the love of a former companion, that allowed him the chance to pass on as his true self, and not the monstrosity he had become.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a kingdom ravaged by monsters; only a child survived, by the mercy of the demon who ordered its destruction in the first place, though he knew it not at the time. Raised within the halls of a kingdom of monsters, he learned to harness his grief and his rage, fighting those he deemed responsible for his home’s devastation. (Or, perhaps, someone else told him that those he fought were harbingers of destruction? No two storytellers quite seem to agree.) For years, he fought, and he fought, only to discover that those he trusted were not truly who they claimed to be, and when he tried to right his wrongs, he was slain. In his renewed grief, and his lingering desire to see justice truly served, his spirit rose once more, wandering the land, coming to the aid of all those who desire justice.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a kingdom of dreams; that is to say, a kingdom that did not truly exist. Its ruler reigned over his illusory kingdom for years, never knowing that it was only a facsimile. (Some say he had always lived there, some say he was stolen away by a trickster, others say he was trapped by a monster. Such is the nature of stories, it seems.) On one fateful night, they say, that dream shattered, revealing our cruel and wonderful world, and he was given a choice: return to his kingdom, to a peaceful life formed on lies, or venture on into the great unknown. He pondered for but a moment as he looked out on Erdrea, and he took one last look at the life that lay behind him as he took his memories, hoping to bring a bit more hope to the world.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a kingdom of demons, and a monster that sat atop its throne, and a little demon princess who spent much of her time among humans. (Perhaps her mother was a human? The stories never say…) She was _fascinated_ by them, by their perseverance and their stubbornness and their desire, more often than not, to do good, and she decided she wanted to follow in _their_ footsteps, rather than the path of bloodshed laid out by her father. And when her father set his army on humanity, on goodness and light and mercy, she said _no,_ and she stood against him, no matter how hard it got.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a girl who found herself born into the wrong life. Her father called her the wrong name, dressed her in the wrong clothes, insisted she would live a life she never wanted, and so she prayed to the tree that looked over Erdrea in those days. (Her old life, the life that had been mistakenly given to her, has been lost to time, but perhaps that is for the best.) That tree answered her, and she found herself able to change into whatever form most suited her; knight, performer, savior, all of these roles found themselves in her repertoire. And so, under cover of a new name, a new face, she set out, eager to spread joy to all she met.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a pair of twins, as close as the shore is to the sea. They had never known a life without the other, and they had intended it to stay that way. But fate rarely lets her faithful stay content; perhaps it was a monster, or perhaps it was an ill-intended mortal, or perhaps it was merely an accident, but all too suddenly, one of the twins found herself, for the first time, truly _alone._ For a moment, she thought that perhaps she should join her twin in the great tree’s grasp...but she shook it off, choosing to keep her twin in her heart as she traveled. And as if the great tree had opted to show her mercy, she found herself no longer alone; from that moment on, she seemed to bear two souls in one body, and her sister lived on through her.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a girl with untold magical power. Blessed by a fairy, or cursed by a monster, or perhaps hand-chosen by the great tree, she cast spells more powerful than even the most learned scholars could produce. But such power comes with a cost, always with a cost, and the more she used her magic, the more she showed her talents, the greater a toll it took on her physical form. Each spell drained her life, almost rewound time around her, until it was no longer safe for her to cast magic at all. And somehow, she was content with that, until the day came that she could not protect those she loved without her magic. And so, with a smile, and with hope in her heart, she cast her final spell, fading into the light itself as she watched her friends prevail.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a boy who sought gold. Some say he was merely greedy, some say he sought a better life for himself, most believe a little of both. And, it seems, some spirit blessed him with what he sought and more, and he gained the power to find riches wherever he searched, and for some time, life was good. But all gifts come with a price; it took little time at all for this gift to turn on the things and the people he loved, all turning to gold before his eyes. Before long, all he had left was his memories, and they, too, turned to gold, and he remembered nothing as he, too, was turned. But in his final moments, he learned to forgive himself for his perceived wrongs, for supposedly hurting those he cared about with his curse, and that was all it took to save him and those he loved.

Once, when a different tree watched over Erdrea, there was a girl who woke one morning to find her heart had vanished. She left her home in search of where it may have traveled to, but every city and town, every forest and frontier, left her empty-handed. She found herself in despair, accepting that her heart had vanished forever, before she found a group of travelers who were like her, heartless and hopeless. And, in time, they grew to care for one another, and in time, their hearts didn’t _return_ to them so much as they _reformed._

\---

They say, once, in an age of heroes, the great tree was felled. Perhaps it was a monster, perhaps a demon, perhaps an entity beyond our understanding; the culprit is lost to time, but it matters not. Without a great tree to watch over the world, to keep it rooted, to keep it safe, Erdrea began to crumble into dust, and the people lost hope.

They say, once, in an age of heroes, a single hero rose to his feet in the wake of tragedy. He looked out over Erdrea as it crumbled and faded, as the knights and kings and civilians alike bowed their heads and accepted the end. And he said _no, I do not accept this,_ and he fought every monster, every demon, every single entity that the tree’s destroyer threw at him. He fought, never wavering no matter what came his way, and at last, the tree was avenged.

Some, a few poor souls, say that the tree rose again as its destroyer faded into oblivion, but they are naive; that is not the way the world works, after all. The tree was avenged, but the world still crumbled, still faded. And the hero looked out over the world, at the knights and kings and civilians alike who no longer cowered in fear but instead chose to stand alongside him, and as he wiped the tears from his eyes, he knew what the next step on his path was.

They say, once, in an age of heroes, there was a hero whose final act of bravery was choosing to take his own place in the sky, watching over Erdrea for all eternity, keeping it rooted and safe from destruction. And so Erdrea has stayed, and so Yggdrasil has, too.

\---

(Some of the lucky few who have visited Yggdrasil claim to have seen eight spirits sitting among the great tree’s branches, speaking without speech, not amongst themselves, but seemingly to Yggdrasil itself. And some of the luckier say that, if you look closely, you may find a ninth spirit among the highest branches, speaking silently to them in turn. But that may be a mere legend in its own right. Who's to say?)

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: thechavanator (main) / eleven-of-light (dq spoilers) / chellion-characters (OCs)  
> Twitter: nonotfromportal (main) / dqChellion (fandom twitter, mostly dqxi at the moment)  
> Discord: Chel!#2061
> 
> Look, man, Erdrea's gotta have _some_ explanation for Eleven just vanishing, right?
> 
> I love the idea of worlds where stories have some kinda impact on the world around them, not just people's perceptions of it, so that definitely factored into this. Or at least the bit at the end. I have _a lot of feelings,_ man.
> 
> Speaking of, I have some little extra author's notes [here](https://thechavanator.tumblr.com/post/626936976666394625/the-tales-we-tell-thechavanator-dragon-quest) if you're curious! Just me talkin about why some parts turned out how they did.


End file.
